For 600 years, the Church of our Lady has stood, with its 400-foot-tall tower of bricks, as a memorial to the power and wealth of Bruges at its height. Inside, reclining statues mark the tombs of the last local rulers of Bruges, Mary of Burgundy, and her father, Charles the Bold. This delicate Madonna and…Continue reading Bruges, Belgium: Church of Our Lady and Memling Museum
Tag: Europe travel tips
London, England: Victoria and Albert Museum – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite
The Victorian Age was an exuberant time. The Neo-Gothic Albert Memorial reminds London how Victoria’s beloved husband Albert — the only one who called her “Vickie” — did so much to promote technology and culture during that industrial boom time. The statues at the base herald the great accomplishments of Britain’s 19th-century glory days. Albert…Continue reading London, England: Victoria and Albert Museum – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite
Amsterdam, Netherlands: Dutch Resistance Museum
The Dutch Resistance Museum takes you behind the scenes during the Nazi occupation and tells how the Dutch fought back. Pistols were hidden in books. With this corset, stuffed with ration cards, a woman who looked pregnant helped feed both hidden Jews and resistance fighters. And courageous moms with strollers did their part, as well.…Continue reading Amsterdam, Netherlands: Dutch Resistance Museum
Paris, France: Cluny Museum
Just a couple blocks off the river, the Cluny Museum, filling a medieval mansion, takes us back to Paris in the late Middle Ages. In the 1400s, trade was beginning to boom and the Renaissance was moving in like a warm front from Italy. The Cluny Museum is an under-appreciated treasure. Its rich collection of…Continue reading Paris, France: Cluny Museum
Amsterdam, Netherlands: The Van Gogh Museum
An entire museum is dedicated to the work of the great Dutch artist, Vincent van Gogh. The Van Gogh Museum, laid out as a stroll through the story of Vincent’s life, shows how intimately his life and art were intertwined. Van Gogh grew up in poor, rural Holland. From the start, he had an affinity…Continue reading Amsterdam, Netherlands: The Van Gogh Museum
Nice, France: Matisse and Chagall Museums – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite
The Matisse Museum offers a fascinating introduction to modern art inspired by the French Riviera. Henri Matisse opened a window onto paradise. Armed with the bright colors of the Impressionists, Matisse captured the radiant Riviera of the 1920s: seascapes, fruit, flowers, and curvaceous women. Matisse was the master of leaving things out, letting us fill…Continue reading Nice, France: Matisse and Chagall Museums – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite
Paris, France: Carnavalet Museum and Remnants of Royalty – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide
While there is history in dem bones, the Carnavalet Museum, filling a lavish old aristocratic mansion, is the best place to sort through the story of Paris. Pre-Revolutionary France had a government by, for and of the wealthy. And as the rich got richer and richer, people who lived in fabulous mansions like this became…Continue reading Paris, France: Carnavalet Museum and Remnants of Royalty – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide
Paris, France: Orsay Museum
Getting around Paris is easy on the Metro. The original stations were Art Nouveau. This new one celebrates the system’s 100th birthday. And the latest generation shows Europe’s commitment to ever-more-efficient public transit. The train is completely automated, allowing passengers to watch the tunnel coming at them. Faster than a taxi can take us, we…Continue reading Paris, France: Orsay Museum
Rome, Italy: Capitoline Museums
The Capitoline Hill, which rises majestically from the busy streets, has long been the home of Rome’s city government. During the Renaissance, Michelangelo designed this regal staircase. He gave the square its famously harmonious proportions and its majestic centerpiece… An ancient statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. This is a copy. The second-century original, the greatest…Continue reading Rome, Italy: Capitoline Museums
Rome, Italy: National Museum
A visit to the National Museum at the Palazzo Massimo helps to humanize the empire. While ancient Rome’s architecture was monumental, its citizens were just people like you and me without electricity. These frescoes, a rare surviving example of Roman painting, bring color to our image of daily life back then. Romans liked to think…Continue reading Rome, Italy: National Museum